


The Truth Shall Set You Free

by Mists



Series: Rivals to Friends [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Can be seen as pre-slash relationship too, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Insecurity, Langst, Small trigger warning for truth serum being snuck in Lance's drink., Team as Family, Truth Serum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 13:12:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11380878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mists/pseuds/Mists
Summary: "What's your problem with my hair anyway?" Keith flippantly asked."At the Garrison, the back of your head was the only thing I saw..." the words, eerily slipped from Lance's mouth. "-as you blew past every accomplishment I made, like it was nothing at all."Lance gets dosed with truth serum, and leads to him and Keith finally talking out their issues with one another. Keith and Lance Friendship, One-shot! Complete!





	The Truth Shall Set You Free

**Disclaimer:** I own none of the things. This is loosely based around a truth serum prompt by Catpearsonn/bluediamondsandtea on tumblr from awhile back and I wanted to take my own crack at it. Takes place at some point in season three after Shiro's back. I also reference the implied lion switch we've been able to glen in the trailer. Hope you don't think of that as a spoiler. If you do, sorry, oh well!

Also small trigger warning for Lance getting truth serum slipped into his drink. If this upsets you, don't read. Please enjoy!

* * *

Lance totally couldn't believe his luck. For once, all his pick up lines were working! Mira laughed demurely behind her webbed hand as she encouraged him to drink up. The Blue Paladin took another swig of the fruit juice the Velarian woman brought him. The taste was cloyingly sweet, but he downed it anyway, not wanting to offend Mira.

The Paladins of Voltron had just freed another planet from Galra rule and were enjoying the extravagant celebration being thrown in their honor. During the festivities, Mira had approached Lance and asked if he was enjoying himself. From there, they merrily discussed a number of frivolous things. But the subject always seemed to suitably shift back to Voltron.

"So there are only five of you then?" she inquired sweetly, taking a delicate sip of her drink.

"Well... seven if you count, Allura and Coran."

"And in your ship, the lions are housed individually or..."

It vaguely occurred to Lance that was an odd question to ask, when the answer came suddenly spilling from his mouth, "We each have our own hangar, but they are all connected by a series of zip lines."

The second the words left his mouth, Lance clamped a hand over it horrified. Why did he tell her that? He totally shouldn't have told her something like that. Lance had learned his lesson with Nyma and he wasn't going to put the others in jeopardy because of a cute alien again.

"I- uh," he tried to think of an excuse, but none came, "n-need to go."

"Oh, why my dear?" Her tone more saccharine than the drink. Once again, his mouth seemed to move on its own, "You're trying to take advantage of me, I need to leave."

Her large eyes then dangerously narrowed. "I see..." She reached out and grabbed hold of his arm. "You're more observant than I thought." Her webbed grip tightened as claw like nails pierced through the soft material of his social attire. "Not to worry little 'avis.' I'll let you go once you sing."

She then began to guide him towards a more secluded part of the castle.

"What? N-No!" He stuttered out in fright. All of a sudden he felt extremely weak. Lance tried to break her hold but found he couldn't. It was almost like he felt compelled to follow her. "L-Let me-"

"I'd listen to him, if I were you," a dangerous voice growled, leaping out from behind a pillar. Lance overcome with a wave of relief. For there, holding tight his Galran knife, was Keith. Threateningly, he held the sharp blade against the alien woman's exposed neck.

"Let him go and I'll let you live."

"Huh, and here I thought the Paladins of Voltron were far too 'upstanding' and 'chivalrous' for such brutal tactics." Slowly, she relinquished Lance's arm. "I miss calculated. Well played."

"Guards!" Keith called the second he could safely pull Lance away. The Velarian guards quickly rushed over and took her into custody.

* * *

Later, when they had finally returned to the ship. Lance was thoroughly checked out by Coran.

"Well, my dear boy," he stated with a twirl of his mustache. "It appears that the serum doesn't have any adverse affects. Other than, well, the most apparent one of course."

"Huzzah, I'm not dying..." He sarcastically cheered. Why did these stupid things always seem to happen to him? "Though, an unhealthy compulsion to tell the truth to anything asked of me still kinda sucks my man."

"I know, son. But not to worry!" Coran said compassionately. He gave Lance a supportive pat on the back. "According to my tests and information supplied by the Velarians, it will completely wear off in a few days."

The team all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Shiro walked forward and gave the older gentleman a smile. "That's great news, Coran."

"Yeah, _super_ ," Lance replied in a cynical tone. "Guess I'll go hold up in my room for the next couple days."

"Lance, this serum isn't affecting you in any physical capacity," Allura stated in a stern tone. "I understand how stressful this must be, but you are _still_ a Paladin of Voltron. You must continue training with the group."

"I- but princess-"

Shiro reached out and placed his natural hand on Lance's shoulder. "She's right, Lance."

He could practically feel the Blue Paladin droop in his hold. "But I entirely understand your reluctance," he added as Lance nervously glanced away. "We all have things that we'd rather keep to ourselves."

Shiro then turned his narrowed gaze onto the others. "And everyone is going to be _thoughtful_ and _supportive_ of that fact-" His eyes lingered for a moment on both Pidge and Keith. "-and promise not to ask you any personal questions until this is over. Is that clear?"

Keith just folded his arms defensively over his chest and shrugged, acting like he didn't care. Pidge on the other hand, had a mischievous grin on her face. "Of course, not." Her glasses flashed with a sinister light. "Nothing, _personal_ at all _."_

Lance visibly gulped and began trembling in Shiro's hold. The Black Paladin could tell though, it wasn't entirely for show.

"Pidge, I mean it," he stressed, his tone making it clear how serious he was. "Play nice."

"Okay, fine." she finally relented in huff. "I was only going to ask silly stuff like: 'What was the most embarrassing thing your siblings ever did to you?'"

"My brother Alejandro caught me playing dress up once with Rosie and sent a pic of it to my grade school crush. Then she posted it on her Instagram and from there the entire school knew. "

The second the words left his mouth, Lance smacked a hand over it horrified.

"Pidge!" Shiro said in his most reprimanding tone. "What did I _just_ say?"

"I'm sorry! I- I didn't ask it directly!" she exclaimed, looking surprised and a tad bit guilty. "How was I supposed to know he'd answer that?"

"Dude, not cool." Hunk's mouth curled into a serious frown. "This stuff is powerful, and Lance could answer vague questions in any number of ways. As long as it's in ear shot, it might count as far as the serum is concerned. So we all need to be extra careful what we say around him until it's gone."

Pidge fidgeted with her hands. "I know, I get it now." She stared at the Blue Paladin with remorseful eyes. "Sorry, Lance."

"That's okay, Pidgey." He brushed it off with a shrug. "I don't mind you knowing that." Lance then let out sigh and started to move towards the door. "But yeah, I'm just going to lie down for a while if you don't mind."

The others were supportive and immediately agreed.

As Lance slowly made his way to his room, he couldn't help the tremor of fear that ran through his body. What if next time he revealed something far worse... He'd just have be careful, and extra quiet for the next few days...

* * *

An unnerving silence had settled over the castle and was setting everyone on edge. Nothing the team normally did to alleviate it was helping. Hunk was cooking up a storm in the kitchen, making a feast large enough to feed ten armies. Keith had pushed to the breaking point, nearly training himself into the ground. Pidge looked like she hadn't slept in forever. While Shiro and Coran frantically tried their best to keep everyone together. Even the mice were exhausted, lying in a furry, quivering pile in Allura's hands.

"What is wrong with all of you?" the Princess demanded, shocked at the dramatic change in her crew. "Pidge, why didn't you get any sleep?"

"Well..." She pushed up her glasses and rubbed tiredly at her eyes. "Normally, Lance comes by to check on me." Pidge chuckled to herself. "Then makes a nuisance of himself until I agree to play a level of our video game." Thoughtfully, she then glanced away. "After that, I shuffle off to bed, but... he didn't come by this time."

"Yeah," Hunk interjected. "Kinda the same story for me. Lance usually knocks me out of my anxiety spiral when I get this bad."

Coran, Allura, and Shiro shared an understanding look. Shiro then turned to Keith. "And you?"

A flush of embarrassment burned over Keith's cheeks. "I- well... I don't know." He admitted, uncertainly. "I mean, _sometimes_ Lance stops by the training deck just to annoy or challenge me." A surprised expression fluttered across Keith's face. "I honestly didn't pay much attention to it before." He glanced worriedly at the others. "It's been really quiet today, hasn't it?"

"Indeed," Coran agreed. He stood up and straightened his mustache. "I think I'd better speak with the boy. Seems this serum is causing him more distress than we previously thought."

It took a while, but Coran, Shiro, and Hunk were eventually able to draw Lance out of his self-imposed exile. Everyone on the team promised not to ask Lance any questions until the serum wore off. That they missed him and just wanted to make sure he was okay. So when Lance finally gathered up the courage, he joined the others for dinner.

Simply having the Blue Paladin present again seemed to lighten the group's collective mood. They all enjoyed Hunk's culinary creations as easy, normal banter began to flow once again.

Every now and then, Lance would interject, but it still wasn't quite up to his usual level. But overall, Shiro was just relieved that the Blue Paladin was starting to let his guard down.

Later though, he wondered if that might have been a huge mistake.

The friendly conversation eventually turned to Lance and Keith's rivalry; as it often did. And in that complacent the moment, Keith got carried away.

"What's your problem with my hair anyway?" he flippantly asked. Not even realizing what he'd just done. That is until...

"At the Garrison, the back of your head was the only thing I saw..." the words, eerily slipped from Lance's mouth. "-as you blew past every accomplishment I made, like it was nothing at all."

 _SLAM!_ Loudly went the Blue Paladin's chair as he leapt to his feet, utterly horrified. His hand tightly clamped over his traitorous mouth as he bolted from the room.

Of all the things! How could he have let that slip? Lance was certain he'd never be able to look Keith in the eye again. He'd never wanted the Red Paladin to know how much their time at the Garrison still affected him. That even after all this time, Lance hadn't entirely sorted out how he felt about Keith.

They had a history that Lance was pretty sure Keith was mostly unaware of. And that knowledge _hurt_ a lot of the time. He knew most of it was his own fault. But in the end, that just made it all the harder.

Instinctively, Lance ran and hid away inside of Blue. Of course, doing so made him incredibly easy to find, but he had faith Blue would respect his wishes and not let anyone in.

Her calming presence surrounded him like a blanket when he entered. He climbed the ramp and collapsed; a broken, emotional mess, into the pilot seat. "Oh, Blue! What on earth am I going to do?"

A rippling wave of love and warmth flowed through him. His tears finally broke through, and he openly wept. Taking solstice in the incredible presence of his lion's love.

* * *

Meanwhile, back with the other paladins, Keith was livid.

"Shiro, get out of my way!" he demanded, staring the man he considered a brother, down. "I have to talk to him!"

But Shiro's hold on him only tightened. "Oh, I don't think so." He shook his head. "Not until you're calm."

Keith glared back at him dangerously. "I swear, if you say 'Patience yields focus' I'm gonna-"

"Doesn't make it any less true," he automatically interjected.

His response made Keith see total red. "This isn't funny, Shiro!" He aggressively tore himself away from the Black Paladin and frantically began to pace. "I- I just, what did Lance mean by that? I've never treated him that way..." He gripped his hair and then paused for a minute. "Have, I?"

Both Hunk and Pidge shared a knowing glance.

"Guys," Shiro said calmly. "What do you know?"

"Hey! Don't look at me!" Pidge held up her hands defensively. "I only entered the Garrison shortly after Keith left. So I only know the bits and pieces."

Shiro turned his gaze to Hunk, who immediately started sweating. "I well... I mean it's not really for me to tell."

"He's right, Shiro," Keith agreed, already striding again for the door. "Lance is the only one who can explain what he meant."

"Keith." His voice took on a cautionary tone as he addressed the Red Paladin's retreating back. "Lance is still being affected by the serum. It isn't right for you to confront him now when he considers himself vulnerable!"

The teen froze mid-step, shriving with tension. He then whirled back around. "Then what am I supposed to do!" Keith threw up his hands in frustration. "If I wait the serum will wear off, I'll never be able to drag out of him a straight answer!" He turned back to the corridor. "No, I'm sorry Shiro. Whatever's been brewing between Lance and I, needs to be settled and I have to do it now. I'll keep my temper under control, I promise."

"Keith-" Shiro was about to go after him, but Coran's firm hand stayed him. "He's right, Lad. Number 4 appears to understand the gravity of the situation. The two of them have needed to address this for a long time."

"Coran..." Allura implored, appearing unsure of this decision."This could cause irretrievable damage to the team. Are you absolutely certain?"

"I am," he replied with complete certainty. "A conflict of this nature often develops between the Red and Blue Paladins, being as diametrically opposite as they are... But in the end, you all must remember: The Blue lion is the Red's central support, while Red lion is the Blue's main force and drive. They are two sides of the same coin, just like Hunk and Pidge. The two of them need one another, and it's about time they both truly come to understand that."

* * *

"Patience yields focus," Keith reminded himself as he entered Blue's hangar. He took a deep, fortifying breath. No matter how much Lance would try to distract him, Keith had to stay focused and root out the heart of the problem. "Okay, here we go."

Determined, Keith practically marched over to the Blue lion. Her glowing yellow eyes flashed for a moment, but didn't bring down her head. This merely confirmed Keith's suspicions. "Lance, come down," he called, certain the Blue Paladin was hiding within. "We need to talk!"

Blue's external speaker crackled to life. "I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is currently out of order. Please hangup and try again."

"Lance!"

"Ay, perdone, tengo el número equivocado-"

Keith stomped his foot in frustration. "Lance, please! We have to talk about this! I- I want to understand what you meant by that."

The inuring silence echoed louder than any sound.

"Lance... look-" Keith scratched the back of his neck, hoping this was the right thing to say. Lance was always better at articulating his thoughts than him. "I know in your mind we have this whole," he made air quotes with his fingers, "-'rivalry thing' from back at the Garrison. But... I really want us to move passed that." He paused for a moment. When he got no response, he simply continued, "Whatever I did, I'll try to make it right. I want- no, I _need_ to understand why you still seem to..."

The next words caught roughly in Keith's throat, terrified to even utter them. He'd been hopeful that Lance had already moved passed this... but apparently not. The Red Paladin desperately needed to understand why the kindest, most openly loving person he'd ever known just seemed to... _hate_ him sometimes.

"I get-" His voice slightly cracked, but Keith kept going, "-this truth serum stuff is messing with you. But Lance, I feel this can't wait. And I'm probably the last person you want to talk to right now... But-"

Just then, Blue's eyes flickered to life and she gently lowered her head. The ramp slowly extended as Lance came walking out. The hooded part of his jacket was pulled up over his head, like a protective shield. His hands were shoved tightly into his coat pockets, visibly tugging against the seams. He determinedly kept his head down, to avoid Keith's piercing gaze. Every part of him screaming with the desire, to curl up into a ball and hide from the rest of the world.

"You didn't do anything, Keith." Came the strained words, as the taller boy's hands tugged at folds of his jacket. "I-It's all on me, not you. And that's the damn problem."

With utmost care, Keith gradually approached, as if confronting a wounded animal. Fearing that Lance might flee at even the slightest movement. As the Red Paladin drew closer, he could clearly see tears gently streaming down Lance's face. This made Keith pause. He'd never actually seen Lance cry.

The Red Paladin began to second guess his decision to push for this. "I... you know what? F-Forget I said anything. You don't have to-"

Lance released, a wet, broken sigh. "Back at the Garrison, it didn't matter how hard I worked; or how much I tried. Somehow, I always ended up getting compared to you." His face scrunched up as if in pain. "'You'll never catch up to Keith at this rate,' 'A screw up like you will never make fighter p-pilot,' 'All you'll ever be is a no talent _cargo_ , and nothing more.'"

Keith's breath caught harshly. In the past, he'd teasingly called Lance similar names. When they'd first left Earth in Blue he'd meant it, but after receiving his own lion, Keith came to realize how difficult piloting them was to master. Since then, Keith continued using the nickname because it was the only one that seemed to phase the other paladin. It always cut through Lance's arrogance and made him refocus on their goal. But... he'd never meant for him to take it that way.

"Lance..." he hoarsely whispered, but the Blue Paladin didn't notice and just moved on.

"Iverson was the worst of all," he confessed, visibly trying to fight back his the tears. "He used to say the only reason I was even _in_ the fighter class was because you dropped out."

This admission struck Keith like physical blow. Iverson had used _him_ , against Lance? Against _any_ of the other students in the Garrsion? Iverson hated Keith's guts! He used to call him a hot-headed arrogant punk that only got in because of Shiro! How _dare_ he use him to manipulate his students like that! That utter and complete asshole!

 _I swear, first thing I'm doing when I get back to earth is finding that jerk and ripping him a new one,_ he thought to himself as Red hummed with his own approval. Keith's lion had gotten a little attached to Lance during their brief search for Shiro. _Thanks, Red._

And that's when it hit him, why Lance had so adamantly objected to the lion switch in the first place.

" _That's_ why you didn't want to fly Red," he gasped in realization. Shakily, Keith reached out and grabbed hold of Lance's trembling arms. "You felt like you were being forced to become my replacement again."

Lance ducked his head, in even further shame. "I mean, yeah," he admitted with a slight shrug. "I still don't get _why_ you even wanted me to." He took a deep breath and glanced up at Keith with red eyes. "It's not like my piloting skills hold a candle to yours."

Instinctively, Keith tightened his grip. He had to prove to Lance the wrongness of his words. "That is not true."

"Isn't it?" he returned with a broken laugh. "When we first saved Shiro, you didn't even remember me!"

His stomach sickeningly churned at the memory. "Lance, I-"

"I tried _so_ h-hard to get you to notice and a-acknowledge me," he began choking on his words. "Thinking that if I d-did, it would prove something to Iverson and the others. But as time went on, my jealously and bitterness grew. Everything that was difficult for me just came so _easily_ to you! I became fixated on _everything_ about you, even your _stupid_ hair." He spat the last word, gasping for breath. "H-Hoping that one day, you'd turn your Mullet-head around and see me as your equal. But you never did. It was _never_ enough!"

Tears started welling in Keith's eyes. He made Lance feel this way? "No, that wasn't-"

"-your fault. Damn it, Keith! I know!" Lance cut him off with a frustrated screech. Violently, he ripped his hands out of his pockets and shoved Keith away. "It was me! All me!" He reached up and clutched handfuls of his hair. "The rivalry, my issues with you, none of it was real or true! It was just inside my own stupid head!"

Lance began to hiccup and shake with tension. "And that's the worst thing of all! To rationalize the way I was treating you, I'd made you out to be this arrogant, aloof jerk. T-That didn't care about anyone but himself."

Again, he gasped desperately for breath. "But then I got to know you..." He glanced up and finally met Keith's gaze straight on. The absolutely broken look in his blue eyes cut Keith right to his core. "It isn't true at all! You're so passionate, determined, and kind!"

Lance threw up his hands, and then dropped them back to his sides defeatedly. "I had you pegged completely wrong." He rubbed an anxious hand along the back of his neck. "And no matter how much proof I saw, I couldn't admit that. So in the end, what's that say about me?"

"Lance... I-" His friend had been holding all this in? This entire time? He honestly didn't even know where to begin. "Y-You're wrong..."

The Blue Paladin released a bitter snort. "Yeah, Keith. I know. I just said that!"

"No! Not- look, just shut up and _listen_ , alright?!" Keith took a moment to steady himself. "Yes, you were wrong... about most of that stuff. But I meant, you were wrong when you said I never noticed or acknowledge you. Because I d-did, Lance."

Keith nervously bit his lip and glanced away. "With everything that was happening at the time with saving Shiro and all; yeah, at first I didn't remember you. But after that first second, I did." How was he going to explain this? Well... Lance was honest with him, maybe it was time to fully come clean too.

"Back at the Garrison, people were always trying to get close to me because of Shiro," he admitted, fearful to look up and meet Lance's eyes again. "So when you kept approaching me, and waving to say hello... I thought you were doing the same thing."

Lance's voice above him croaked, "I... you remember that?"

Keith kept his head down and nodded. "I... knew you admired him." He could feel embarrassment burning at his cheeks. "Everyone at the Garrison did, with the way you used to talk about him all the time in the halls."

"Keith, I-"

"I'd been hurt by kids like that before," he confessed with shrug, trying to play it off as no big deal. "I was scared, so I ignored you. Hoping that you'd just get discouraged and move on."

Keith released a rueful laugh and finally glanced up. "Should have known better, huh? If there's one thing you're not, it's a quitter."

But Lance simply stood there, staring back at him in shock. He then shook his head as if to clear it. "So hold on a sec, so you _really_ do remember me?"

"Yeah, of course I do. The best pilot in the cargo class, with incredible aim and leadership skills. And one of the few students in our class that even acknowledged that I was alive."

Tears once again began to fill Lance's ocean blue eyes. "Oh..."

"Lance?" Keith tentatively asked, reaching out a hand. "Honestly, I would have told you all this earlier. If I didn't think it'd go right to your head."

This made Lance snort. "Oh, thanks man. That's _so_ kind."

Keith blinked curiously at him. He never through Lance of all people, would think this way about himself. "I mean, you're always brimming with self-confidence that I-"

When Lance's shoulders subtlety dropped, the final puzzle piece in Keith's mind finally fell into place. He physically froze with the sudden force of his epiphany.

"But you're _not,_ " the Red Paladin finished in shock, staring at Lance like he'd never really seen him before.

"K-Keith?"

"But then, if- _what?!_ " He stammered, like the revelation was tilting his entire world on its axis. "Lance! If you never really felt that way, then why were you constantly boasting?!"

Keith's friend slightly shivered under his touch, before answering, "Because I _want_ it to be true." He sheepishly grinned. "I felt if I said it enough times, eventually it would be."

The Red Paladin was floored. "So wait," he rubbed at his forehead, trying to sort through this new insight. "Do you do this with everything? Like when you make jokes in the middle of a battle-"

Sharply, Lance sucked air between his teeth. Apparently, he'd hit another nerve. "It's how I _cope_ , Keith," he stressed. His eyes narrowing in emotional pain. "I know it's not a _game_ , if that's what you're implying."

 _Oops._ "Lance, I wasn't-"

"No!" he exclaimed. "You're always saying that I don't understand the weight of things, but damn it, I do!" The Blue Paladin stepped forward, thrusting his finger accusingly into Keith's chest. "You think I don't know how many lives are on the line? The people and worlds the Galra are ripping apart! That, if we fail, they're all doomed including everyone back on Earth!"

Gritting his teeth, Lance's eyes flashed sharp like a wolf's. "I can't _focus_ on that, Keith. Because if I do, I'll become overwhelmed and then I'll freeze!" he said chillingly. "And that is something I can't afford to do. Inside or out of battle, and _you_ know that!"

"Lance- please!" How couldn't he have seen it before? It all made an incredible amount of sense now, why Lance acted the way he did. It was just so different from how Keith handled them that it had never occurred to him that those were his reasons. Lance, in his own way, was trying to protect everyone. To raise their spirits, and ultimately help keep the team's collective heads in the fight so that the intense pressure didn't get to them. "I didn't mean-"

"We _all_ can't!" he fervently added. "So yes, I, the most _useless_ member of the team,-"

"Lance!" Keith gasped, horrified.

"-try to keep everything as light as I can! So that darkness we've been keeping at bay won't crush us from within!" he breathlessly finished.

Then, acting purely on instinct, Keith rushed forward. Wrapping his arms tightly around Lance, and refused to let go.

Lance's body stiffened in his hold. "Keith, what are-"

"It's a hug, Lance." He grunted in reply, "Deal with it!"

"Okay..." Uncertainty rang in his voice. "But... Um, why? I-I just yelled at you..."

"Because, damn it!" Unshed tears burned in Keith's eyes, as he buried his face into his friend's chest. "You aren't useless! You're like the literal heart of this team!" In that moment, Keith felt all the tension suddenly flow out of Lance. With trembling arms, he weakly returned the Red Paladin's embrace.

"You know I _suck_ at reading people," Keith continued. "Honestly, I get kind of envious of you for that sometimes."

Lance's breath hitched for a moment in his chest. Then Keith went on, "If you knew I was getting everything wrong, why didn't you just tell me?"

"I- I was scared." He sniffled, tucking his head tenderly between Keith's shoulder and neck. "That if you knew all the horrible things I thought about myself, that you and the others would agree and then it'd be true." Lance briefly tightened his hold. "It's stupid, I know... But at the time I just couldn't bring myself to face the possibility."

"Lance... you're one of the most incredible people I know. You have a heart bigger than an ocean, and twice as deep." Keith felt Lance's tears moisten the collar of his shirt. "No matter how murky the darkness we face becomes, you always find away to bring us back to the surface. You make us laugh, when all we want to do is cry. Along with incredible insight into different people and situations, in ways I've never known." Keith let out a tired sigh. "You're a sharpshooter, in every sense of the word."

He took a deep breath. "So please, don't think about yourself like this anymore. Because I assure you, the others feel the exact same way. And believe me when I say, we'd be absolutely lost without you."

"K-Keith..." His voice cracked with emotion. "I... you r-really mean all that?"

"Yeah, I do." He grinned into Lance's chest. "I suck at lying, remember?"

The Blue Paladin barked out a boisterous laugh. "True... Wish I had a recording device. This is quite the bonding moment, huh?"

Keith released a rueful snort. "Yeah, and this time, you'd better not forget it!"

The pair dissolved into shared laughter, as they held one another for a moment longer.

Not all the misunderstandings between them had been fixed, but it was a start. And from here, they could begin to heal the rift and grow closer together.

Because they needed each other. And one day, along with the rest of their friends, they would prevail over Zarkon's darkness, once and for all.

* * *

**~The End~**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, remember that little fic I mentioned? It turned into this eleven page monster! LOL! But there were so many things I felt Keith and Lance needed to discuss that it just snowballed. Really hope we get a deep heartfelt moment like this in the show. It really needs to happen.
> 
> Anyway! Hope you enjoyed. If you liked this piece, please check out my other Voltron works "Balance" and "Defying the Odds" that can be conveniently found on my author's page! After the 4th, I'll be focusing on writing two Digimon one-shots for "Data-Bytes" then hopefully get back to "Defying the Odds."
> 
> That's it for now! Happy Fourth of July people!
> 
> Please remember to read, kudo, fave, bookmark, and/or review! I love hearing from you!


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